The popular author and Boston College philosophy professor, Kreeft, presents this introduction to philosophy to help beginners not only to understand philosophy but to fall in love with it. In his forty years of teaching philosophy, Kreeft says the most effective way to accomplish this purpose is to read Socrates. Philosophy means "the love of wisdom." Kreeft uses the dialogues of Socrates in this book to help the reader grow in that love of wisdom. He says that no master of the art of philosophizing has ever been more simple, clear, and accessible to beginners as Socrates. He focuses on Plato's dialogues, the Apology of Socrates, as a model partner for the reader to dialogue with. Kreeft calls it "the Magna Carta of philosophy," a timeless classic that is "a portable classroom."

Discover the world's greatest thinkers and their groundbreaking notions! Too often, textbooks turn the noteworthy theories, principles, and figures of philosophy into tedious discourse that even Plato would reject. Philosophy 101 cuts out the boring details and exhausting philosophical methodology, and instead, gives you a lesson in philosophy that keeps you engaged as you explore the fascinating history of human thought and inquisition. From Aristotle and Heidegger to free will and metaphysics, Philosophy 101 is packed with hundreds of entertaining philosophical tidbits, illustrations, and thought puzzles that you won't be able to find anywhere else. So whether you're looking to unravel the mysteries of existentialism, or just want to find out what made Voltaire tick, Philosophy 101 has all the answers--even the ones you didn't know you were looking for.

"Probably no single thinker since Jesus has influenced the thoughts and lives of more people living in the Western world today than Sigmund Freud. Even agnostics like William Barrett, in Irrational Man, and atheists like Nietzsche, agree that the single most radical change in the last thousand years of Western civilization has been the decline of religion. And the four most influential critics of religion have certainly been Nietzsche, Marx, Darwin, and Freud. Of the four, Freud is by far the most popular No name is more associated with, and in fact responsible for, "the sexual revolution" than Freud. And no revolution in history, at least none since the one around a cross and an empty tomb, and perhaps even none since the one around a snake and an apple, has been more life-changing, and has more potential to continue to be more radically life-changing in the future, than the sexual revolution. To see this, just read Huxley's Brave New World. (And remember that Huxley was far from being a theist.) Freud wore three hats. Freud was (1) a practicing psychoanalyst (indeed, the inventor of psychoanalysis), (2) a professional theoretical psychologist and sociologist, and (3) an amateur philosopher. This book explores only his philosophy, for that is the point of his intersection with Socrates. If Socrates is right in his deepest convictions about the power of reason and the importance of philosophy, Freud's philosophy is the ultimate source, foundation, explanation, and justification for his psychology"--

Discover the world's greatest thinkers and their groundbreaking notions! Too often, textbooks turn the noteworthy theories, principles, and figures of philosophy into tedious discourse that even Plato would reject. Philosophy 101 cuts out the boring details and exhausting philosophical methodology, and instead, gives you a lesson in philosophy that keeps you engaged as you explore the fascinating history of human thought and inquisition. From Aristotle and Heidegger to free will and metaphysics, Philosophy 101 is packed with hundreds of entertaining philosophical tidbits, illustrations, and thought puzzles that you won't be able to find anywhere else. So whether you're looking to unravel the mysteries of existentialism, or just want to find out what made Voltaire tick, Philosophy 101 has all the answers--even the ones you didn't know you were looking for.

In the history of ancient philosophy, few figures loom as large as Socrates, whose relentless process of questioning continues to inform philosophical and ethical inquiry today. But during his time, Socrates was a peculiar and sometimes puzzling figure: to some, a barefoot—and even dangerous—gadfly, to others a brilliant and revolutionary teacher. This absorbing volume chronicles what is known of this unorthodox thinker and his incredible legacy. It also provides a window into both the foundations of Western philosophy and the history of golden age Athens, the fate of which was closely tied to that of Socrates himself.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The roots of Western philosophy can be found in the work of Greek philosophers during the fifth and sixth centuries. These philosophers, later referred to as pre-Socratic, started to question the world around them. Rather than attributing their surroundings to the Greek gods, they searched for more rational explanations. #2 The term pre-Socratic refers to the differences in ideology and principles between the pre-Socratic philosophers and those of Socrates. While many pre-Socratic philosophers produced texts, none have survived and most of what we know about the pre-Socratic philosophers is based on the fragments of text that remain and the quotes of later historians and philosophers, which were usually biased. #3 The ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras believed that the basis of all reality was mathematical relations. He believed that numbers were sacred, and with the use of mathematics, everything could be measured and predicted. #4 The school of Elea was the first to use pure reason as the only criterion for finding truth. They believed that reality didn’t have to do with the world we experience, and that it could be understood through reason alone.

The greatest teacher of philosophy in all of history was Socrates, according to philosopher Peter Kreeft. In 2,400 years, no one has topped him or his Socratic method, teaching not by monologue, but by dialogue; not by lecturing, but by logical questioning. Yet of the hundreds of textbooks for beginning philosophers today, none uses his method. Kreeft has imagined Socrates University: a log, with Socrates at one end and a typical intelligent modern student beginner at the other, conversing about the problems at the heart of each major division of philosophy. Nothing teaches more effectively than concrete examples and apprenticeship. Like the real Socrates, this fictionalized version by Kreeft is grounded in common sense and commonsense logic, fair and open-minded on all issues but demanding good reasons for every opinion.